[Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture] The legend of the Onibaba of Adachigahara (Kurozuka). It was “Hitokowa Kaidan” with a sad human drama!

There is a legend that in Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture, there was an onibaba who attacked travelers.

This story is famous nationwide, and has even been used as a kabuki or puppet theater performance under the name ``Oshu Adachihara,'' a Noh performance under the name ``Kurozuka.''

• Link: Kabuki terminology guide – The world of Oshu attack
• Link: thenoh.com – Kurozuka

This time, we delved into the Onibaba legend of Adachigahara (Kurozuka) and went there to look for traces of it!

Legend of Onibaba of Adachigahara (Kurozuka)

The Onibaba legend passed down in Adachigahara (Kurozuka) is as follows.

there was an old woman named Iwate who worked as a nanny at a mansion in Kyoto

The princess of the mansion, whom Iwate had carefully raised, was unable to speak no matter how much she grew up, and no matter how much she was treated by a doctor, she never recovered. There, she was seen by a fortune teller who told her that if she drank the live bile of the baby in her pregnant woman's belly, she would be cured.

Therefore, Iwate leaves Kyoto and travels to Oshu in order to obtain the will to live. When he came to the banks of the Abukuma River, he found a rocky hut that was perfect for sheltering from the rain and wind, and settled there.

One late autumn evening, Ikomanosuke and Koiginu come to visit.

The couple seems to be having trouble finding a place to stay, and the wife is also carrying a large stomach due to her pregnancy. Iwate was delighted with the opportunity and decided to let the couple stay.

That night, Koi suddenly goes into labor and complains of abdominal pain, and a panicked Ikomanosuke rushes out to find medicine. Iwate took advantage of that opportunity and cut Koi's stomach open with a knife from the kitchen.

Before her death, Koi told Iwate that she was looking for her mother, who she lost in Kyoto

So Iwate inspects Koi's belongings and finds an amulet bag. Iwate is surprised when he opens the contents. The girl he had just killed, Koi, was his own daughter, from whom he had been estranged. Iwate, who killed his daughter and grandson with his own hands, goes mad with grief and pain and turns into a demon.

After that, Iwate began to steal money and goods from travelers, kill them, suck their blood, and eat their flesh, and rumors spread that she was known as the ``Onibaba of Adachigahara (Kurozuka)'' However, since the incident took place in Oshu, far from the capital, there was no one to blame.

Tokobo Yukei from Kumano , visited Adachigahara and sought lodging for the night in Iwate.

It was a cold night, so Iwate left home to get firewood. At that time, he reminds Yukei, ``Do not open this back room.''

Yukei accepts Iwate's offer, but his curiosity gets the better of him and he looks into the room. There, there were piles of blood-stained corpses and rotting human bones. that this old woman is the rumored ``Onibaba of Adachigahara (Kurozuka) ,'' Yukei panics and rushes out of the house without even getting ready. However, upon returning and understanding the situation, Iwate pursues Yukei.

Yukei is caught up and has to face Iwate.

and prayed with all his heart to the statue of Nyoirin Kannon that he carried with him Then, the statue flew up into the sky and emitted light, and he put an arrow into his demon-killing white bow and exterminated the hag.

Reference: Mayumiyama Kanzeji Temple “Oshu Adachigahara (Kurozuka) Origin Origins Overview”, etc.

Iwate had killed his own daughter and grandson with his own hands. No wonder you're going crazy. However, considering that he was already planning on killing people when he came to Adachigahara, he may have been a little distorted from the beginning...

I thought Onibaba was just a scary monster, but I didn't know that there was such a sad story behind it... In the end, what is truly scary is the story of humans. In terms of genre, "Hitokowa Kaidan" !

Place related to Onibaba legend

There are a number of historical sites still existing in Adachigahara today the Onibaba legend is a true story

Mayumizan Kanzeji Temple

The rock where the onibaba is said to have lived still remains, and a called Kanzeji stands on the site that includes the rock.

It is a historic temple that has been around since the Nara period, and Matsuo Basho visited this place during the Edo period on his way to Oku-no-Hosomichi, and Masaoka Shiki came here during the Meiji period.

Tohoku Rokken trivia media: NEFT

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[Serialization: Following the narrow path in the back part 1] Your trip to Tohoku begins with "crossing the Shirakawa barrier"

https://jp.neft.asia/archives/25118

In the Edo period, when there were no airplanes, bullet trains, or automobiles, traveling on foot was the norm, and it was a life-threatening journey that was fraught with great hardship. (Basho) Matsuo Basho not only traveled on foot in Tohoku during this period, but also left behind his travelogue along with his haiku poems for future generations. Even today, it is so highly regarded that it is included in school textbooks, and you have probably all come across famous prefaces and haiku at least once. Here, we will follow the footprints that Basho left in the Tohoku region, and introduce seven articles about the current state of the places he visited and the haiku poems published in "Oku no Hosomichi." The narrow road in the back...

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Kanzeji Temple Treasure Museum. A large number of historical materials related to Onibaba are on display.

Inside, there are items on display such as ``the hag's knife,' ' ``the jar that held her life's gall,'' and ``the hoe that was used to dig the hole used to bury the hag I don't know if it's true or false!

Nyoirin Kannon-do. It enshrines Nyoirin Kanzeon , whose power was borrowed from Tokobo Yukei in order to exterminate onibaba in the legend

A rock cave where an onibaba is said to have lived. It is certainly a good place for people to settle down, as it protects them from the rain and wind. I feel a strange force in the many large rocks...

There are many other attractions on the grounds of Kanze-ji Temple, the Onibaba Stone Statue, the Basho Rest Stone , Matsuo Basho is said to have sat and rested, the Debaarai Pond

Information

• Name: Tendai Sect Mayumiyama Kanzeji Temple
• Address: 4-126 Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture 964-0938
• Phone number: 0243-22-0797
• URL: Nihonmatsu City official website

Google Map

Kurozuka

Kurozuka is the burial place of the onibaba who was exterminated by the power of Tokobo Yukei . It's about a 2-3 minute walk from Kanzeji Temple, so if you come all the way, it's a place you should see at least once!

As soon as you exit Kanzeji Temple, there will be a signboard in front of you.

As soon as you go up the embankment of the Abukuma River, you will see a single cedar looking down on the riverbank. There is a black mound at the base of this cedar tree.

Kurozuka stone monument. The fact that he is buried right next to the rocky house where he is said to have lived gives us a sense of the ``reality'' of the legend.

Information

• Name: Kurozuka
• Address: 4-chome Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture 964-0938
• URL: Nihonmatsu City Tourism Federation HP

Google Map

You can also purchase Onibaba goods at Adachigahara Furusato Village!

The area around Kanze-ji Temple is also maintained as a park called ``Adachigahara Furusato Village'' It is a facility like a roadside station + kids park + park, and you will probably use this parking lot when sightseeing around the area.

Traditional old folk houses, samurai residences, and tea rooms have all been relocated to the park, and among them, the Rural Life Center, which was a two-story wealthy farmer's mansion, is impressive in its size.

In autumn, the Manjusha Festival is held, where more than 200,000 Manjusha flowers (also known as red spider lily) bloom

Adachigahara Furusatokan on the premises , you can enjoy selecting local delicious vegetables, processed products, sweets, and souvenirs. Onibaba goods are also on sale. Bappy -chan, who is based on a hag.

Information

• Name: Adachigahara Furusato Village
• Address: 4-100 Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture 964-0938
• Phone number: 0243-22-7474
• URL: Adachigahara Furusato Village HP

Google Map

summary

In this article, we introduced the Onibaba legend that is passed down in Adachigahara, Nihonmatsu City, Fukushima Prefecture.

I was quite surprised to see so many traces of the Onibaba legend, which I thought was a type of fairy tale. Before I visited, just a fairy tale , but after seeing it all, I realized it was a real ghost story

Considering that it has been passed down from generation to generation, and that it was so well known throughout the country that Matsuo Basho visited it during the Edo period and Masaoka Shiki visited it during the Meiji period, wouldn't this be believable?

This is a spot you should definitely stop by when you visit Nihonmatsu!